Deceitful Actions
by dracos-sexy-bitch
Summary: ON HOLD. SEE PROFILE FOR DETAILS. RWHG with some DMHG and RWLB. Come join me as we follow our favorite Gryffindors, not to mention a certain pureblood Slytherin, as a web of lies, deceit, and lust is tangled around them.
1. Lavender Observes

**Hey everyone, dracos-sexy-bitch here again, with the first chappie of my brand new story. :-) I would like to apologize for how abruptly my last story ended, but I would like to assure you there will be a sequel, so don't worry too much. I love you all! Please R&R this story, let me know if ya like it. Thanks a bunch to my beta Cherbi161!

* * *

It's hard to say where it all began, to be quite honest. Compared to her, Voldemort seemed like a harmless, though at times annoying, fly. She was so desperate, so cunning, so evil, and yet she looked so innocent, it was hard to believe she was capable of the things she has done. There is no denying that there is a large amount of evil behind that pretty face of hers.**

Granted, she had never actually killed anyone like Voldemort had, but she had certainly ruined lives with her cunning ways, and although she was not directly responsible, it has been suggested that she was an indirect cause of one student's tragic suicide.

We may never know what exactly went on in her head while she was doing all of these terrible things, as of course the only one who truly knows her thoughts is herself, but from the circumstances as well as testimony from the other students at Hogwarts, we can attempt to recreate the situation as well as possible.

It all began at Hogsmeade…

* * *

"Come on, Hermione, it'll be fun," Ron pleaded with his curly haired friend, getting down on one knee and taking her hand in his. Hermione arched a doubtful eyebrow at him in response.

She was seated on a couch in the Gryffindor common room, surrounded by Ron, Ginny, and Harry, who were all attempting to persuade her to come with them on an unsupervised excursion to Hogsmeade. They had been trying to convince her for over twenty minutes that it would be safe, that they wouldn't get caught, and that she really would enjoy the break from her homework, but she wasn't biting.

"There is absolutely no reason for me to go with you," she said simply, smiling regretfully at her friends. "Honestly, in three weeks we're going to have a school Hogsmeade weekend, so why not just wait until then?"

"Hermione, when was the last time you've done anything wrong?" Harry asked, with a tiny smile playing at his lips. Hermione was silent for a moment, avoiding everyone's gaze. Ginny grinned and poked Harry in the stomach.

"Good point, Harry," she said, smiling at him fondly. She turned to Hermione with the sweetest pout any of them had ever seen. "Please, Hermione? It will be absolutely dreadful without you!"

Hermione giggled and placed a teasing hand under Ginny's chin. "How can I refuse a face like that?" she laughed, and stood up. "Fine, I'll go. But if we get in trouble, I'll tell them you put me under the Imperius curse, and then you'll all be in a load of trouble."

Her three friends laughed, and were pleased that she had agreed to come, but none more so than Ron, who at that moment was blushing, having just realized he was still holding onto Hermione's hand. He dropped it quickly and moved a few steps away, hoping no one else had noticed. Their eyes met briefly, and each smiled shyly at the other, but quickly looked away, cheeks flushed.

* * *

"I still can't believe that Professor Ames is making you work with Malfoy," Ginny said, sticking her tongue out in distaste. "You'd think she'd know better, honestly."

The group of friends was walking slowly down the main street of Hogsmeade enjoying the freedom and the break from their regular studies. They all noticed how much better Hogsmeade seemed to be without the rest of the school buzzing about.

"Well, you know, since it is Defense Against the Dark Arts class, who better to work with? I need to defend myself against him as much as anyone else," Hermione said with a grin. "Especially since he's been so… different lately."

"Different?" Ron asked quickly, glancing at her suspiciously. "How so?"

"Oh, come on, Ron, don't pretend you haven't noticed," Ginny teased him. "He's not very subtle about it… always glancing over at her and making lewd gestures with whatever odd objects he happens to be holding at the time."

Hermione giggled. "I have to admit, that time with the breadstick and the bagel was one of my favorites," she said with a grin. "He just likes to be an ass, that's all."

Ron looked at her, horrified. "A breadstick and a bagel?" he repeated, his eyebrows disappearing into his hair. "What in the bloody – "

"Oh, look, it's a new store!" Hermione and Ginny squealed quickly, pointing to a store with a window displaying some of the most exquisite jewelry they had ever seen. This sudden change of subject seemed to throw Ron off topic, as they had hoped.

The two girls leaned against the glass lustfully, admiring how the beautiful necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and other jewelry sparkled so brilliantly in the light. This store seemed to have just about anything a young girl could dream of.

"Oh, can we go in, Harry?" Ginny asked, tugging at her boyfriend's robes gently. "Look how beautiful it all is. I just want to look, I promise I won't ask you for anything."

Harry laughed, and held the door open for her. "You can have anything you want, love," he said gently. "You're worth it."

Ron made gagging noises at the couple from Hermione's left. Hermione giggled and followed Harry and Ginny into the store, splitting from them to go look at the necklaces. Harry and Ginny were looking at rings, and Hermione thought it would be best to let them have their little discussions about that type of jewelry alone.

Ron followed her, and she blushed as she noticed his careful scrutiny of her. It was something in his eyes lately that made her shiver in delight whenever he looked at her. She had always had feelings for him, but had never thought he would return the feeling. When she saw him looking at her like that, she felt beautiful, like she was the only woman in the world at that moment, and that anything was possible for them.

He had been looking at her like that a lot lately, and things had been happening between them more often too, like him holding her hand longer than normal earlier. Even though these actions were usually unconscious, and recognized later in embarrassment, Hermione could still feel the sparks, and it made her giddy every time it happened.

A diamond necklace caught Hermione's eye, and she touched it gently, loving the feel of its elegance against her skin. It was a striking tear drop necklace that hung beautifully in a platinum setting. She gasped as it sparkled in her hand. She had never seen such a beautiful necklace before.

"Do you like it?" Ron asked from behind her, his breath tickling her ear. She smiled and turned to face him. They were very, very close now, and she reveled in this proximity. She loved his scent, a mixture of masculinity with a noble pride to it. She loved how his warmth hugged her body even though they weren't touching.

"It's beautiful," she answered, still smiling at him. "But very expensive."

"How much?" Ron asked.

"100 galleons," Hermione said with a pout. "It would take me years to save enough money to buy this."

"I'll buy it for you," Ron said cheerfully. Hermione looked up at him in surprise.

"Ron, absolutely not," she said. "That's very sweet of you, but impossible."

"Oh, I see," Ron said, becoming defensive. It had taken a lot out of him to get the courage to offer to buy her such a meaningful gift, and now she was rejecting it. "You think I can't afford it, don't you? Yeah, well, you're probably right, after all, I'm nothing but a Weasley. Pure blood, sure, but still trash. Thanks a lot, Hermione, for reminding me of something I should never forget."

"Ron, that's not what I meant!" Hermione said, confused as to how he had gotten all of that from her simple statement. "I just meant that – "

Ron cut her off before she could complete her sentence. "It doesn't matter, Hermione," he said sharply. "I know it's true, don't even bother denying it."

"Well _fine_, Ron," Hermione huffed. "If my opinion doesn't matter to you, I'll just leave. Tell Ginny I'm going to the Three Broomsticks to have a drink. Goodbye, Ronald."

Ron stared after her retreating form in a mixture of confusion and offense. How dare she storm off while he was scolding her? He turned around when he heart a fake cough behind him. Ginny and Harry were there, watching him in amusement.

"Have a bit of a scuffle, did you?" Ginny asked him with a cheeky grin. "What'd you do this time, darling brother?"

"I didn't do anything, it was her!" Ron protested, not because he actually believed it, but mostly to save face.

"Right," Harry said doubtfully. "May I suggest you run after her and patch things up?"

* * *

Hermione had found a table in the corner and was sitting, slumped against the wall, drinking her butterbeer. She pushed a handful of her bushy hair behind her ear and huffed. She hadn't meant to offend Ron, although she could see how he had taken it that way. He had always been sensitive about his money situation, and she knew she should have been a bit more careful of how she had phrased her statement earlier. At the same time, she knew Ron couldn't afford something that expensive, and either way he would have been upset about the situation. She sighed and took another sip of her drink.

As she sat reflecting, she heard someone shuffle their feet beside her. Ron was standing at the end of her table, red-faced and apologetic. She smiled gently at him, and motioned for him to sit beside her.

"I'm sorry for saying all that, Hermione," Ron said bashfully, avoiding her gaze. "I know you didn't mean it the way I took it."

"I should have been more careful," Hermione protested, not wanting him to take all the blame. She touched his arm gently and he smiled at her.

"It's just that... well, to be honest, I've been saving my money," Ron said, suddenly becoming nervous, and glancing away again. "You know… to get you something special. So I have the money, I was just waiting for the right moment and the perfect gift, and that just seemed like the time."

Hermione's eyes began to tear up as she listened to him speak. He must have been saving his money for years in order to have enough to buy her that necklace. She wasn't sure exactly what this gesture meant, but she could hazard a guess.

"Lucky for you, Hermione," Ron said with a grin, reaching into his pocket. "I happen to be very stubborn, and bought you the necklace anyway. I hope you don't mind."

Hermione smiled widely as Ron pulled the jewelry case out of his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it and admired the beautiful necklace inside. Ron took it out for her and placed it around his neck, touching her neck ever so lightly as he did so, sending shivers up Hermione's spine.

"Thank you, Ron, I love it," Hermione said, smiling brightly at him. She had never been given such a beautiful gift before, and it made her so happy that Ron cared enough about her to save up and buy something so nice for her.

* * *

At a table nearby, Lavender Brown sat with Parvati and a few of the older Gryffindor girls. She wondered vaguely how Ron and Hermione had slipped out of the castle to Hogsmeade, but soon came to the conclusion that Fred and George must have told them the secret passageway like he had told her.

Lavender struggled to keep her concentration focused on the conversation at her table, but her gaze kept drifting to Ron and Hermione, who were now talking and laughing happily, and Lavender noted a particularly deep flush on Hermione's face that she only saw when she was talking to Ron. She also noticed the beautiful necklace which she had admired only a few moments ago in the jewelry store around Hermione's neck. She wondered where she had gotten the money from, but shook her head from this thought.

She also wondered vaguely where Harry was, she didn't normally see him without his two companions. Her eyes wandered to the windows, where she could see Harry standing outside with Ginny. Oh yes, she remembered, Harry and Ginny had begun dating a few weeks ago, and were now practically inseparable.

Lavender sighed as she observed the new couple interacting with each other. She always got a twinge of sadness seeing people together like this, especially since she had never been in love. Sure, she had had many boyfriends in her life, most especially since she came to Hogwarts, but she had never truly made a connection with anyone.

She watched Harry as he stared at Ginny in such a loving way. She heard Ginny giggle, and sighed as she saw Harry gently brush a strand of hair out of her face. She felt a twinge of loneliness surround her heart as she wondered what it would be like to be with Harry. Would he hold her the same way he was holding Ginny? She imagined what it would be like with his strong arms around her, caressing her back, his soft lips nipping at her ears…

She had to have him. There was no alternative, she didn't care if he was taken, she was more attractive than Ginny anyway, she was confident that she could steal Harry from her. As she considered all these facts, she realized that there was one fatal flaw in her plan. Harry had never noticed her before, in all of their years at Hogwarts. Of course he knew she existed, everyone knew about her, but he had hardly ever spoken a word to her, much less seemed particularly aware of her presence. She would have to find a way to be around him more, some way to focus his attention on her so that he realizes how much fun she would be as a girlfriend, and how much more interesting she was.

But how?

Her eyes focused on Ginny for a moment. It would be so easy to befriend Ginny, the girlfriend. Perhaps that was too easy… and too boring. She shifted her gaze to Ron, and her eyes lit up. Why not? Ron would be a pleasure to befriend, he had grown quite attractive over the years, with his soft red hair, barely brushing his shoulders, and his bright blue eyes he could make any girl's heart flutter in delight and his strong muscular build that only a couple years of Quidditch could form. He would be the perfect, enjoyable gateway to the eventual goal of Harry's "friendship".

She giggled to herself as she thought of the future before her. She would become friends with Ron, and he would speak highly of her to Harry as a result. Once Harry had noticed her and had a pleasant disposition toward her, she would be able to make her moves. Once she made that girlfriend of his look bad, she and Harry would become the most talked about couple at school.

* * *

Harry and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room by the fire, waiting for Hermione and Ginny to return from their study session at the library. Ron had been in a strange mood ever since they left Hogsmeade, and Harry had been waiting for a chance to talk to him about it. He glanced over at Ron, who was at that point chewing his lower lip as he stared off blankly into the fire.

"How you doing, mate?" Harry asked with a grin, nudging his friend to get his attention. Ron looked up at him in surprise, as if he hadn't realized Harry was even there.

"Oh, I'm bloody great," Ron said, pounding Harry heartily on the back.

"Any special reason?" Harry asked, knowing the answer already. "Something concerning our young curly haired friend, perhaps?"

Ron flushed a bright scarlet color. This was becoming a normal occurrence for him.

"Well yeah, sure," Ron admitted, with a slight smile. "I mean, she's bloody amazing. I've been crazy about her since first year, you know that."

"Yeah, you're fairly obvious," Harry teased. Ron glared at him, and Harry laughed. "Well, come on, it's not like it's a bad thing. She seems to like you as well, you should go for it. What's stopping you?"

"I don't want to ruin anything, you know?" Ron sighed. "You know how girls get, they get all… girly."

"Oh, the tragedy," Harry said, grinning.

"You know what I mean," Ron said. "I just don't want anything to change between us. Mostly I suppose I don't want to screw it all up."

"Did you consider that you might mess it up by waiting too long?" Harry pointed out. "Ginny was right about Draco, you know, he has been showing an uncharacteristic amount of interest in her lately. And you know what else, Hermione doesn't seem to mind it too much either. I don't know what he's planning, but if you want to be with Hermione, I suggest you do it before it's too late."

"But why is he interested?" Ron asked.

"That I do not know," Harry replied thoughtfully. "But I heard he can be very persuasive when he wants."

* * *

**R&R please:-)**


	2. Lavender Takes Action

Draco watched Hermione as they sat side by side in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ordinarily this wasn't the seat he would have chosen, but their teacher, Professor Ames, had insisted that each pair of students chosen to work together should sit together each class period so that they could discuss their projects during down time. He had to admit, however, that he couldn't have been given a better partner, as Hermione was quite possibly the only one equal to the task of matching wits with him. Their knowledge combined could produce no less than an Outstanding grade.

"This project is focusing on your skills at creating spells," Professor Ames was saying. "This type of magic requires an extreme focus on what you expect your end result to be, as well as a detailed study of the more prominent Latin roots. Over the next few weeks, you and your partner will be studying Latin, in order to get a good grasp on these roots, and you will eventually come up with a name and purpose for a spell that has not been created. It is very important that you have your spell approved by me before you attempt to use it, otherwise there could be some serious mishaps. Once your spell is approved, you can begin practicing it, and make the necessary adjustments until it works."

Draco smirked at Hermione, who was feverishly taking notes. "Why don't we invent a spell to produce an orgasm?" he whispered, breathing hot air into her ear as he did so. Hermione glared up at him for a moment, but immediately continued taking notes. Draco shrugged. He thought it was a good idea…

* * *

Hermione smiled as her red headed friend approached her. She was having a late lunch in the Great Hall, and was glad to see someone she could to talk to while she finished eating. Ginny smiled back and sat down at the table next to her.

"So, we have a lot to talk about," she said, smiling knowingly at her friend. Hermione smiled back, blushing a little bit. "What's going on with you and my brother, hmm?"

"Oh, come on, Ginny, you know how I feel about him," she said, giggling slightly.

"Yeah, I know, but I just like hearing you say it," Ginny replied with a mischievous grin. "But not even just that, what is going on with you and Malfoy? I heard he was whispering 'sweet nothings' to you during class."

"Who did you hear that from?" Hermione asked in surprise, laughing at Ginny's mocking expression.

"My oh-so-jealous brother," Ginny answered, ruffling Hermione's hair playfully. "And speaking of jealous, Harry tells me he saw Lavender checking Ron out today in class. What's that all about? Did you see anything?"

"No," Hermione admitted, slightly downcast. "Although I have to admit I was paying more attention to Ron himself than those who may have been watching him."

Ginny grinned. "No worries, Hermione," she said consolingly. "I'm sure it's just Lavender being Lavender, you know? She flirts with everyone. Ron wouldn't give her a second glance, he's crazy about you."

* * *

Her footsteps echoed against the stone floors as Lavender made her way through the hallways towards Professor Ames' office. She had the perfect way to set her plan on the right track. These groups in Defense Against the Dark Arts would give her the perfect opportunity to become close with Ron without arousing anyone's suspicion.

Professor Ames had not assigned Lavender to work with Ron or Harry, in fact, she had assigned her to work with Millicent Bulstrode. This idea, naturally, was not Lavender's favorite, and she had decided to take it upon herself to have it changed. After many hours of pondering how best to change these accommodations, Lavender had decided that it would be best for her to partner Ron. Arranging to partner Harry would indeed bring her closer to her goal, however she could ruin it by seeming too persistent, and that would not do. No, she would have to partner Ron, which would help her original plan.

Working with Ron would be easy and fun, and he would no doubt tell Harry how wonderfully brilliant she is. Lavender smiled to herself as these thoughts crossed her mind. And people said Hermione was the smartest witch of their age… Lavender scoffed. By the time Lavender got through with everyone, it would be _her_ name spoken in admiration, not that bloody know-it-all's.

Sure, Hermione was nice when she wanted to be, but there was no denying that she was a bit snooty. Who wouldn't be, if they were in her position? Lavender sighed. How frequently she had wished that she had become such close friends with Harry and Ron. What more could a girl ask for than to have two such attractive men as best friends?

"I could be her," Lavender said, smirking to herself. "I could be her better than she could. She doesn't know what she has."

As Lavender's thoughts continued to travel in this direction she began to ponder what it would be like if she took Hermione's place. She imagined herself, sitting in the common room, one of them on either side of her, filling her head with compliments and sweet words. A smirk crossed her face once again. Yes, if she were in Hermione's place, she would use those boys to their full potential.

* * *

Lavender was soon seated in a chair on the other side of Professor Ames' desk, having a nice chat with the amiable professor.

"What can I help you with today, Miss Brown?" Professor Ames asked with a smile, as she poured Lavender a cup of tea from a tea pot she had conjured with her wand.

"Well, I'd like to speak to you about the project, actually," Lavender said, looking at the office around her. There was a warm fire crackling away merrily in the fire place, and scattered on shelves around the room were several of the dark detectors she recognized from the D.A. meetings in her 5th year.

"The project?" Professor Ames repeated, surprised. "I thought I explained it properly in class, Miss Brown, did I leave something out? I should hate to have misled any other students…"

"No no, that's not it at all, Professor," Lavender said quickly, to assure her anxious teacher. "It's just that… well, Millicent and I have had a bit of an argument, you see. We don't seem to see eye to eye on the project, and I don't think I can work well with her. I'm afraid that our project will suffer because of our differences."

"Well, don't you think it would be best if you two were to work these differences out?" Professor Ames suggested gently. "After all, true learning only comes from the ability to persevere through difficulties. You may learn _more_ by working with her."

Time for drastic action, Lavender thought.

"I… I suppose," she murmured, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's just… she said some very rude things to me, and I don't think I can… I mean, I'll try…"

"Oh, my dear, what did she say to you?" Professor Ames asked, feeling awful that she had not considered it a possibility that there may truly be a serious disagreement.

"I'd rather not say, Professor," Lavender said, eyes wide and tearful as she looked up at her professor. She knew that tears were the way to go in order to get things done. "I hope you understand."

"Of course," Professor Ames agreed sympathetically. "Is there anyone you feel that you may work better with?"

"I was thinking perhaps Ron Weasley," Lavender said, wiping the tears from her eyes, trying not to look to triumphant. "He's always been so nice to me, and we've worked together on projects before."

Professor Ames thought about this for a moment. "I suppose it's doable," she said, placing her chin in her hands. "Ron and Harry are partners at the moment, and I don't see the harm in splitting up that group. Yes, you will partner Ron, and Harry will partner Millicent. I will announce the changes at the next class."

"Please don't tell them I requested it," Lavender pleaded quickly. She needed to cover her tracks, if anyone knew what her true intentions were she didn't even want to think what would happen. "I… I don't think I could bear it if Millicent found out."

"Of course," Professor Ames agreed immediately.

Lavender smiled to herself as she left Professor Ames' office. Her plan had worked out beautifully. Harry would now be partnering Millicent, which would keep him out of trouble while she worked her magic on Ron. She would have him all to herself for the next few weeks as they worked on their project, and would thus be able to get closer to Harry through Ron with ease. Everything was falling into place beautifully.

* * *

"What are you and Harry going to do for your project, Ron?" Ginny asked. She was snuggled in Harry's arms while they, Ron, and Hermione were enjoying the fire in the Gryffindor common room. It was late; the common room was quieting down seeing how most students went to bed around this time.

"We're working on a spell to make a broom fly faster," Ron said, grinning widely at his sister in excitement. "It's going to be wicked, can you imagine Harry using it when he needs to catch the snitch before Malfoy?"

"Honestly, do you two ever think about anything besides Quidditch?" Hermione asked, only slightly annoyed, as she absent-mindedly traced the chain of her new necklace.

"I know what Hermione's thinking about… or should I say _who_?" Ginny teased, smiling broadly at her furiously blushing friend. Hermione glanced at Ron to gage his expression be he seemed to remain blissfully clueless. She sighed to herself and looked back at Ginny, who was now standing up, and dragging Harry to his feet as well.

"Is it time for bed already?" he asked, looking at his girlfriend in confusion, as she pulled him towards the staircase.

"You two aren't going up to bed… together, are you?" Ron asked, raising an eyebrow in stern disapproval. He began to stand up, as if to try and stop Harry and Ginny, when Hermione tossed herself lightly across Ron's lap to keep him in place.

"Come on, Ron," she said, letting a careless hand reach up and caress his cheek lightly, to distract him while Harry and Ginny scurried up the stairs. "Let them have their fun. Harry's good to Ginny and you know it."

"I'm not sure I want to know just how good Harry is to my sister," Ron mumbled, but was suitably distracted by Hermione's wandering fingers to stay seated. His cheek seem to tingle at her touch.

Ron gazed down at the young woman who's head lay in his lap. Her curly hair was fanned out over his legs, and she smiled up at him with perfectly straight teeth, her eyes meeting his squarely. He smiled, perfectly content at how comfortable they were together. They could stare into each other's eyes without feeling awkward; they simply were who they were. He felt his hand trail up her arm to interlock fingers with the hand she had placed on his cheek.

He was struck by the realization that his actions were no longer in his control. It was if their bodies were magnetized. He was hypnotized by her presence, by her eyes, and as his fingers ran lightly over the skin of her shoulder and collar bones he felt as though he never wanted to stop touching her. He saw her eyes shut in pleasure, and swallowed a huge gulp of air painfully, hoping she wouldn't notice how her presence was affecting him.

He ran the fingers of his other hand through her hair, and bent down slowly to place a light kiss on her forehead.

"Hey, guys!" a voice chirped from directly next to them. Hermione's forehead crashed into Ron's nose forcibly as she sat up in surprise.

"Lavender?" Hermione asked, rubbing her forehead and staring at the other girl in surprise. "What do you want?"

Lavender giggled slightly and sat down on the couch between Hermione and Ron. "Nothing, nothing," she said, still giggling. "I just wanted to say hi! Parvati's already gone up to bed, and I felt like some company. You don't mind, do you? Am I interrupting something?" She looked to Ron's reddening face back to Hermione who had a peculiar look on her face.

"No, of course not," Ron said quickly, notcing once again that he was blushing profusely. "We were just talking."

"Oh, well that's wonderful," Lavender said brightly. "I thought I might ask you two what you were planning on doing in each of Defense Against the Dark Arts projects! Millicent and I are having an awful time, she won't help me a single bit, and I've no idea where to begin on my own."

"Well, er… Harry and I were planning a spell to make brooms fly faster," Ron said, trying to be as helpful as possible. Hermione merely rolled her eyes and kept silent.

She observed Ron and Lavender as they spoke to each other and became more and more frustrated by the moment. Lavender, although the words she spoke were meant to seem as if they included Hermione in the conversation, was focusing her attention on Ron, and trying to weed Hermione out.

Hermione watched them carefully, observing how Lavender would lean into Ron as she spoke, and brush his shoulder casually, giggling at every little thing Ron said. In contrast, Ron didn't seem to know how to react to these attentions, in fact every time she touched him he would look up at her with a mixture of confusion and fear. He seemed truly terrified of Lavender, and Hermione snorted with bitter laughter.

She regretted this instantly when Ron's and Lavender's attention became focused on her instead. "What's so funny?" Ron asked, a hopeful smile playing at his lips. He was beginning to regret being so friendly with Lavender, as he had recently realized that this had spoiled his moment with Hermione.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said, forcing a smile. "I'm just going to go to bed. I'll see you guys tomorrow morning."

Hermione stood up from her chair and walked up the stairs without another word. Ron moved as if to try and stop her, but Lavender pushed him back down in his seat.

"You're a lot of fun, Ronald," Lavender said, putting more emphasis than necessary on his name. "Why haven't we hung out like this before?"

"I, er… well," Ron mumbled. "I don't know, I suppose you're usually—"

"We really should hang out more often," Lavender said, giggling and looking up at him fondly. "You make me laugh."

"But you always laugh," Ron pointed out, not sure what to make of her statement. "But look, I'm going to go to bed too… early classes and such."

Lavender sighed to herself as Ron disappeared up the steps to the boy's dormitories. This was harder than she had thought. Although it's true that while Hermione was downstairs, things had been going smoothly, she could tell there would be slight problems. Hermione had been more than slightly put out that Ron was ignoring her, and Lavender had reveled in that feeling. She had always enjoyed being the center of attention, and nothing pleased her more than pushing someone else out of the spotlight.

She hadn't realized until after Hermione went to bed how much a friendship between Ron and Hermione could be for her. If she were going to get closer to Harry through Ron, she would have to do something about Hermione as well. With Hermione hanging around, Ron would always be confused as to who he should pay attention to. If Lavender could make Hermione look less appealing to Ron, things might fall into place easier.

How could this be accomplished, she pondered? Perhaps if Hermione herself were to be distracted by another person, that would keep her away from Ron long enough for Lavender's plan to work. Her thoughts rested briefly on Draco Malfoy. She had seen them together in class, and noticed that there was a great amount of interest, especially on Draco's part. Perhaps Draco Malfoy was just the distraction she was looking for. She smirked slightly, loving the way how everything was beginning to slowly but smoothly be put into place.

* * *

"Nothing happened, Ginny, and I really don't think anything ever will," Hermione said the following morning at breakfast. She and Ginny had left for breakfast before Harry and Ron were ready so that they could have some "girl time". Ginny had been anxious ever since the previous night to find out if anything interesting had happened between her best friend and her brother.

"What do you _mean_ nothing happened, everything was perfect, what went wrong?" Ginny demanded, truly crushed at the news that nothing had happened.

"Lavender showed up out of nowhere," Hermione said, taking an angry bite out of her toast. Ginny raised an eyebrow at her in confusion. Hermione threw her toast back to her plate, finished chewing, and began to rant. "I don't understand, Ginny, she has never shown an interest in any of us in the past and all of a sudden here she is, flirting with Ron. What does she think she's doing?"

"You know, it seems strangely similar to your situation with Draco Malfoy," Ginny said pensively. "Draco is showing an uncharacteristic amount of interest in you, just like Lavender is showing interest in Ron."

"What are you saying, Ginny?" Hermione asked with a slight grin. "That I'm too ugly for a man like Draco Malfoy?"

"You know what I mean," Ginny said, smiling back. "It's just strange. I wonder what they're up to. Do you think they're working together?"

Hermione giggled. "That'll be the day," she said, rolling her eyes. "When two minds as mysterious as theirs combine, we'll all be in a lot of trouble."

"Speaking of trouble," Ginny said, looking past Hermione with a look of amusement. Hermione turned and saw Harry and Ron walking towards them. Hermione rolled her eyes and returned to her food.

"Hey Gin," Harry said, giving his girlfriend a hug. He and Ron sat down and joined them, each grabbing some toast and butter. Ron gave Hermione a small smile as he gulped down his food, but she gave him no more than a grimace in return.

"Whatsamatter, Hermione?" Ron asked, his mouth full of food.

"Oh, nothing," Hermione said, putting on an obviously fake, perky smile. "How was your late night snog with Lavender?"

"What?" Ron demanded, choking on his food.

"Never mind," Hermione mumbled, gathering her books. "See you later, Ginny." She stood up from the table and crashed head first into none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Granger," he said, arching a spectacular eyebrow at her. "I wondered if I might have a word with you about our project."

Hermione glanced over at Ron, who was glaring at Draco suspiciously, his mouth full of toast, and crumbs stuck to his lips.

"Of course," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose in disdain at Ron.

Ron, Harry, and Ginny all watched in varying amounts of interest as Hermione walked out of the Great Hall with Draco Malfoy. Lavender, who was sitting a few seats down from Ron, observed all of these happenings as well, taking special note of the way Draco was looking at Hermione.

"What's her problem?" Ron asked, still shoving food into his mouth as if it were his last meal. Harry and Ginny exchanged glances.

"Ron, did you, or did you not ignore Hermione last night, in favor of Lavender?" Ginny asked in a whisper, so that Lavender would not overhear.

"What? No I—oh God," Ron said, realization dawning on him. "What do I do now?"

"Apologize?" Harry suggested, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Come on, mate, it's Hermione. You're crazy about her, just prove it to her."

"You guys had better get to class," Ginny said, grinning at her friends, "Ron has some making up to do."

* * *

"I have a small change to make before we begin class today," Professor Ames said at the beginning of their class. "I'd like to change two of the pairs around a little bit. Now, Harry Potter will be paired with Millicent Bulstrode, and Ron Weasley will be with Lavender Brown. Please change seats now."

Hermione looked up in surprise when she heard this. Harry was now seated across from her at a table with Millicent. He glanced over at her and shrugged as he caught her eye.

"This class you may take to talk amongst yourselves about what spell you will be choosing," Professor Ames was saying. "By the end of the class, I would like a paragraph written on what the purpose of your spell will be, and how you hope to use it in the future. Please work as quietly as possible."

Hermione turned to Draco, who was already smirking at her, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"So, what mind-blowing spell shall we create?" he asked, propping his chin in his hand. "I still stick by my original idea of the orgasm spell, but you didn't seem to be too fond of that, so what can I say…"

"Draco, can we be serious for one class?" Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "We need to invent something practical, that we'll be able to use every day."

Draco stared at her for a moment, a grin spreading across his face. "Hermione, I would love to perform an orgasm spell on you every day if it were an option," he said.

Hermione tried not to giggle but couldn't help it. She had to admit, when Draco wasn't being an asshole, he was actually kind of fun to be around.

"What about a spell to read minds?" she suggested. Draco perked up at this idea.

"That could be extremely useful," he said slowly, pondering her words. "Wouldn't that be illegal, though?"

"Only if we could read their exact thoughts," Hermione said, noting the truth in his objection. "However, if we were able to create a way to read emotions…"

"I think we may have something here," Draco agreed.

* * *

"I think I may have created a slight problem," Ron said uneasily that night in the common room. He and his friends were once more seated by the fire, doing homework and discussing the things that had happened during the day. Hermione was still upset with Ron, and up until he had said these last words, had been ignoring him. She looked up and met his eyes, almost afraid of what he would say next.

"What did you do?" Ginny asked, glaring at her brother.

"I may have accidentally allowed Lavender to invite herself to Hogsmeade with us this coming weekend," Ron confessed, flushing scarlet yet again.

Hermione and Ginny groaned. "How did that happen?" Ginny demanded, slapping her brother on the shoulder. "What were you thinking? She's going to want to bring all her little friends too, and I just don't feel like dealing with them, to be perfectly honest!"

"Well I'm not sure how it happened, really," Ron admitted, avoiding everyone's gaze. "She was asking about the candy I was eating, and let it slip that I bought it in Honeydukes this weekend. She wondered how we got there, so I told her about the map, you know, and how Fred and George had shown you the way out, so she said she'd like to come with us this weekend. She didn't say anything about bringing her friends though, so maybe it'll be alright."

Ginny snorted in derision. "We'll see, Ronniekins," she said, rolling her eyes. "If nothing else, it'll be a good story."

The conversation died for a moment, mostly because there was still a discernible amount of tension between Ron and Hermione. Ron looked at Hermione shyly, knowing he needed to apologize about the night before.

"Hermione, I'm really sorry," he said quietly. Harry and Ginny pretended to be distracted by each other so that Ron could speak to Hermione without feeling pressured. "About last night, I mean. I didn't mean to make you feel left out."

Hermione looked resolutely away, and for a moment, Ron was afraid she wouldn't respond. He saw a slight flush creep up on her cheek, and she finally turned to him with a happy smile.

"It's ok," she said softly. Ron took pleasure in noting that as she spoke, she touched the necklace he had given her. "I'm sorry for being so rude." As she spoke, she reached out and placed a hand gently on Ron's arm to show her forgiveness. He smiled, knowing that all was right in the world as long as Hermione was happy with him.

* * *

Lavender sat with Parvati at a chair on the other side of the common room. She was watching the four friends, especially the interactions between Hermione and Ron. She sighed as she saw Hermione's hand come to rest on Ron's arm.

"What's the matter, Lavender?" Parvati asked in concern. She wasn't used to seeing Lavender so pensive. In the few years they had known each other, Parvati had always considered Lavender to be her happiest friend, but lately things had changed. She had noticed it over the last few months, most especially since Lavender's tragic breakup with Dean Thomas. Since then, Lavender had become more reserved and less prone to the fits of giggles the friends had enjoyed over their years at Hogwarts. This change worried Parvati, although she rarely mentioned it to Lavender for fear of upsetting her.

"Nothing's the matter, Parvati," Lavender said, sighing again. She glanced at her friend for a moment, and a mischievous smile came across her face. "I have a crazy idea… how do you feel about a trip to Hogsmeade again this weekend?"

"Well, sure," Parvati agreed. "Should I ask some of the other girls too?"

"No," Lavender said quickly. She realized that she was going to have to let her in, in order for her to help keep things moving. "This trip is different. We're going with Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione. What I need you to do is distract Hermione and Ginny for me. I have plans for those two boys."

"What are you talking about?" Parvati asked doubtfully, raising an eyebrow.

"Here's the deal, Parvati," Lavender said, smirking. "But you can't tell anyone. I want Harry, but Ginny is in my way. When we are at Hogsmeade, I need you to keep the girls away from him and Ron so that I can become closer with the boys."

"You want to break Harry and Ginny up?" Parvati asked in disbelief, trying to make sure she had her story straight. "But why? They're such a good couple."

"Do you want to help me or not?" Lavender asked bitterly. "It'll be fun, I promise. And, if you help me get Harry, I'll help you get Dean. I know you like him."

"Wh- what?" Parvati repeated, turning pale.

"It's ok, I'm over him," Lavender said, plastering a smile on her face. "Like I said, if you want to be with him, I'll help you if you help me, I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine. No big deal."

Parvati agreed, but was in more than just a little bit of shock. She had been under the impression that Lavender was still bitter over her breakup with Dean, and even though she liked him, she would never have considered going after him because of Lavender. She was both pleased and surprised at the thought of being with Dean, with Lavender's blessing, and so she was more than willing to hold up her end of the deal.

Lavender smiled to herself as she watched Parvati mulling these things over in her mind. She wasn't sure what had made her offer Dean as a bargaining chip, but she was impressed with herself for finding possibly the only way to convince her friend to help her. She must used all the resources that she could in order to get what she wanted. She'd worry about the details later, but she considered Dean a minor loss in exchange for the affections of Harry Potter.


	3. Lavender Goes BuckWild

**Holy crap,you guys, i'm BACK! I know, I know... its a big surprise. It may only be temporary! But I had a chance to write a chappie because I'm on Spring Break right now so I thought I'd go ahead and post if for you guys. :-) I hope you enjoy it! I should prolly warn you that the Draco/Hermione relationship is slowly growing in this chapter... in case you don't like that sort of thing.. but fear not, I promise you a happy Ron/Hermione ending. Because I do so love the Weasleys...**

**oh and of course... **

**Disclaimer: I own nada. But I really do wish I had a llama farm...**

**ok, please enjoy. :-)**

* * *

Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances as they walked along the streets of Hogsmeade. Lavender and Parvati had taken complete control of the conversation from the moment they arrived, and were flanking Harry and Ron, so that Ginny and Hermione were pushed off to the side. Ginny rolled her eyes and Hermione forced back a grin.

Lavender was the only person that Hermione knew who was able to separate Ginny and Harry from each other without seeming to realize how rude and unappreciated it was. It was true, Ginny and Harry both seemed more than a little annoyed at the fact that Lavender was constantly standing between them every time they tried to hold hands or put their arms around each other. The most amusing part about it was that she seemed truly innocent as to the fact that she was doing these things.

Harry looked down at Lavender with a doubtful frown. She had taken hold of his arm, and he was about to shake her off when he realized she was holding on to Ginny's arm as well. He raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend, who repeated the action, though without much amusement. Lavender giggled and looked at the two of them.

"Look at us, it's like the Wizard of Oz!" she said happily.

Ron looked at her, eyebrows soaring, eyes full of horror at her very presence, as well as confusion. "The Wizard of _what_?" he demanded.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle at his reaction. Of course he wouldn't know what that movie was, but it was so liberating to her to have him be so offended by Lavender's speech.

"The Wizard of Oz, silly, haven't you heard of it?" Lavender asked, smiling broadly at him. "No? We'll certainly have to watch it together sometime then. I really think you'll enjoy it, you know, it's not a movie about wizardry as we know it, but you'll see. It's really very fascinating."

"I hated that movie," Hermione muttered to herself, but loud enough for Lavender to hear.

"Oh, you know, not everyone appreciates great beauty," Lavender said, smiling wickedly at Hermione. "Usually those that do take more care of their personal appearance." Lavender had added this last part under her breath so only Hermione and Ginny could hear it. Hermione stared in shock at Lavender, who was now flirting once more with Ron and Harry as if these words had not escaped her mouth, and for a moment, Hermione wondered if she could have imagined them.

A glance at Ginny proved that she had not, and Hermione opened her mouth to say something in response to Lavender's statement when a tiny shriek from Parvati stopped her. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked where Parvati was pointing.

"Oh, look at the cute little dress shop!" she squealed. To their left was a tiny shop with a well-dressed mannequin in the window. The mannequin had a dark green sequined dress, and behind it they could see rows and rows of other dresses. "Will you guys please come with me? I really want to look inside!"

Ginny and Hermione sighed and agreed to go with her. "Well, I'm just going to run to Fred and George's store with the boys," Lavender said quickly, linking arms with Harry and Ron. "I haven't been there in so long, I'm curious to see how they are."

* * *

Parvati had gone on ahead of Hermione and Ginny, giving the two friends a chance to talk about everything that had happened so far on their excursion.

"I'm still trying to work out how I am in a dress shop with Parvati, and Lavender is at a joke shop with my boyfriend," Ginny said, looking at Hermione in confusion.

Hermione grinned. "Yeah, I'm still trying to figure that one out myself," she admitted, pretending to look at a dress as Parvati smiled widely at them over her shoulder. "Either way, I think she's up to something, and I'm not sure I like it."

"Let's watch the boys carefully when we meet up with them later," Ginny suggested. "See if that gives us any indication as to what's in her mind."

* * *

Hermione eyed Ron over her glass of butterbeer. He was sitting next to Lavender, and seemed to be having an excellent conversation with her, which put Hermione in a rather unhappy state of mind. She slurped her butterbeer in distaste as she watched Lavender punch Ron playfully on the arm, and rest her hand on his shoulder. **(My awesome Beta says: "CAN SHE NOT!…. SKANK" hahaha i love Cherbi161:-D)**

Ginny was seated comfortably next to Harry who had practically pushed Parvati out of the way so he could sit next to his girlfriend. Ginny smirked at Lavender and Parvati triumphantly as this happened, and snuggled up to Harry even closer. She cast a worried glance at Hermione, who she could tell was getting more and more disagreeable with each passing moment. Quite honestly she feared for her brother's health if he did not stop flirting with that lousy whore, Lavender. Images of what Hermione would do to Ron fluttered through her mind, and she shuddered in horror, giving her brother an angry look, as if to warn him, but of course he was oblivious.

Similar images to those going through Ginny's mind were running through Hermione's as well. _Kneeing him in the nads just wouldn't be enough,_ she pondered to herself, gazing at Ron with a fierce intensity that would have frightened him if he hadn't been too busy feeling superior for making a girl like Lavender laugh at his jokes. What had gotten into Lavender lately? She had rarely shown an interest in Harry or Ron, and then all of a sudden she was trying to be their best friend. Hermione was far from pleased.

* * *

Lavender sunk down into her chair in the Gryffindor common room with a sigh of content, happy that the little trip to Hogsmeade couldn't have gone any better. She spread her arms out into a deep stretch, pushing her chest out a bit farther as she caught Ron's eye across the room. Ron turned bright red and sputtered out an irrelevant answer to the question that Hermione had just asked him, earning him a hateful glare from the bushy haired girl in question.

"I'll tell you, Parvati," Lavender said, smiling broadly, mostly to herself. "Today has been eventful. Productive, too… don't you think so?"

"Sure," Parvati agreed, eyeing her friend uncertainly. "I mean, I don't know, I guess you've certainly gotten to Ron, but Harry doesn't seem like he'll ever leave Ginny."

Lavender glared at Parvati. "Listen, if I wanted Harry, I could have him, no questions asked," she snapped. She twirled a piece of hair in her fingers, glancing over at Ron again. "It just so happens that I think Ron is turning out to be more agreeable than Harry. You know me, Parvati, I can't be with someone disagreeable. I think I'm rather beginning to like Ron."

"So you're giving up on Harry?"

"I wouldn't say giving up, so much as moving on to bigger and better things," Lavender replied, rolling her eyes. "I mean honestly, look at Ron… he's gorgeous. Shy, of course, but I'm getting through to him."

"Hermione doesn't seem to appreciate it," Parvati observed, taking in Hermione's irritated appearance.

"Even better," Lavender said, her lips curling in disgust. "That know-it-all needs to be brought down a notch or two anyway."

* * *

"It was awful," Harry groaned, pulling his girlfriend tightly to him. "Just awful. I couldn't have imagined a worse day."

"Oh come off it, Harry, it wasn't that bad," Ron said, glancing over at Lavender. She caught his eye and winked at him, causing him to blush fiercely once again. "I mean you have to admit, Lavender is kind of fun sometimes."

"Fun?" Harry said skeptically, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "All she talked about was clothes and makeup. How can that be fun for you?"

"Well, no, she talked about school some too," Ron protested. "She's smart, you know? Funny. You're just overly critical."

"Ron, just because Lavender has breasts does not make her a good person," Hermione snapped, not looking at him. She had been staring at the fire for the last half hour, without saying a word, and it surprised everyone when she spoke. She was fuming ever since they left for Hogsmeade. Ginny and Harry gave her approving smiles, while Ron simply stared at her, mouth hanging open in shock.

"Hermione, that's absolutely ridiculous," Ron sputtered, looking over at Lavender as if in hopes of discovering something of value about her other than her breasts. Finding that his eyes had come to focus on the very breasts in question, he blushed fiercely and looked away, meeting Hermione's mocking and furious gaze.

"Oh great, she's coming over," Ginny said in disgust, looking over her shoulder and catching sight of Lavender and Parvati headed their way. Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes, but Ron looked somewhat cheered up at having Lavender join their discussion. It wasn't so much that he had feelings for Lavender as he liked the fact that she seemed to appreciate him.

"Hello, everyone," Lavender said cheerfully, picking a seat next to Ron. Parvati sat down next to Hermione, and proceeded to ask her a barrage of questions about what type of shampoo Hermione used, and if she had ever considered wearing "just a little bit" of makeup. Throughout this inquisition Hermione became more and more murderous, and Ginny, how was witnessing the slaughter, knew she had better intervene.

"Parvati, I actually had a question I wanted to ask you about my makeup," Ginny said quickly, engaging the interest of Parvati, leaving Hermione free to calm down as much as she could while still paying entirely too much attention to Ron and Lavender.

Much to Hermione's annoyance, Lavender had draped her legs over Ron's lap, and was running her fingers through Ron's hair, apparently trying to illustrate her point of "why redheads are so sexy". Hermione drew a deep breath and began to count to 10, in hopes that by the time she reached 10 she would once again be calm.

1… Lavender's finger was tracing Ron's jawline.

2… Ron's mouth opened slightly as he drew in a sharp breath of pleasure at her touch.

3… Lavender traced Ron's lips.

4… Ron wet his lips quickly with his tongue.

5… Lavender slipped her finger inside Ron's mouth.

6… Ron's eyes widened in shock.

7… Lavender caught Hermione's eye and winked mischievously.

8…

_Forget it,_ Hermione thought, standing up. She couldn't take it any more. "I'm going to bed," she announced, and without a backwards glance she disappeared up the steps, followed shortly afterwards by Ginny.

"Hermione, are you alright?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"Not really," Hermione said, her voice muffled because her head was in her pillow. "I just need to be left alone for a bit, Ginny, I'm sorry."

"It's ok, I understand," Ginny said consolingly. "I'll just go down and make sure Lavender doesn't try anything else."

"Thanks," Hermione said with a weak giggle.

* * *

Ginny woke Hermione the next morning earlier than usual. Hermione glanced up at her redhead friend blearily. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice still thick with sleep.

"Come on, get up," Ginny urged her quietly, trying to avoid waking the other girls in the room. "We're going to breakfast early, so we can avoid Lavender. Ron doesn't know. Hurry, and try not to wake anyone."

Hermione got ready in minutes and met the other down at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Ginny and Harry smiled at her in greeting as she took her seat across from them. She smirked at them playfully.

"This was a good idea," she said, sighing. "I just don't think I can take another second of Lavender, you know?"

"Believe me, we know," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "I'm going to have a chat with Ron later today about it, talk some sense into him."

"Fantastic," Hermione said, grinning at her friend. "The sooner he stops hanging out with her, the sooner I can concentrate on my homework. It's bad enough that the professors are loading us with work, but add Lavender and Parvati into the mix and I just can't get anything done."

"It'll be alright, Hermione," Ginny said comfortingly. "I promise. You and Ron are the perfect couple, and Lavender can't get in the way of that."

Hermione blushed. "I appreciate you enthusiasm, Ginny, but… oh bloody hell," she groaned as she saw Ron and Lavender approaching the table, each with a broad smile on their face. Ron caught sight of them and looked slightly confused.

"Why didn't you guys wake me if you were eating early?" he asked, stopping to speak to his friends while Lavender chose a seat quite a ways down the table. She waved him to join her, but he ignored her for the moment.

"Why?" Hermione demanded incredulously, staring at Ron. She had had enough of this. "Are you seriously asking why we didn't want you to eat breakfast with you? Honestly Ron, will you look at yourself? For the last few days all you've done is talk about or hang out with Lavender, and frankly we're sick of it. Lavender annoys us. Until you stop hanging out with her, you can expect us to avoid you."

"Are you serious?" Ron asked, in total shock. He glanced at Harry and Ginny to see if they felt the same, and when they both shrugged at him, he turned once again to Hermione. "I can't believe this, Hermione, if you were really my friend you would understand. Now you're making my other friends mad at me too? Bloody hell, Hermione, what is wrong with you lately?"

Hermione stared at Ron in disbelief for a moment, unable to process the fact that he was truly angry at her for this. She made a disgusted noise and quickly stood up from her seat and stormed out of the Great Hall towards her first class of the day, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"What's with her?" Ron asked, glancing at Harry and his sister. "I mean, she hasn't been this high strung in ages."

"Are you really that clueless, Ron?" Ginny asked, looking at her brother in disgust. "Hermione is crazy about you, and Lavender is taking you away from her. She's jealous, you dimwit!"

"Really?" Ron asked, blinking in surprise. He had suspected that Hermione had feelings for him, of course, and he knew he had feelings for her, but he had never truly dared to hope that anything would come of it. "What should I do?"

Harry and Ginny just looked at Ron, as if debating whether or not he was really that clueless. Finally Ron answered his own question, and turned on his heel to find Hermione.

"Merlin he is thick," Ginny muttered, turning to Harry.

* * *

"Hello, Granger," Hermione heard a voice whisper in her ear. Hermione jumped in surprise and turned to face Draco Malfoy, who was of course smirking at her. "Are you ready to work on our project today?"

"Er… yes," Hermione said, still recovering from his intrusion into her thoughts. She had been concentrating so hard on her anger at Ron, that she had taken no notice of her surroundings, and Draco's approach had taken her completely by surprise.

"What's the matter, Granger, you look even more distracted than usual," Draco said, brushing a strand of Hermione's bushy hair out of her face. She looked at him in disbelief, arching a plucked eyebrow.

"Why are you being so nice, Malfoy?"

"Honestly?" Draco asked, smirking at her again, placing his hand on the wall behind her. "I figure you're stressed out, so I'm positioning myself around you so that when you realize you need a good shag to release some tension, you'll come to me."

Hermione laughed and looked at Draco skeptically. "You're a pig, you know that?" she said, looking up into Draco's grey eyes. He grinned down at her and nodded.

Hermione saw a flash of red hair over Draco's shoulder. "Ron!" she called, but the flash of hair disappeared around a corner. Hermione shrugged and rolled her eyes… if Ron was going to be jealous for no reason, he could just stop talking to her until he was sensible again.

* * *

Ron was furious. How dare Hermione be upset with him for hanging out with Lavender when Hermione herself spent time with that lousy Malfoy? She was a bloody hypocrite, that's all there was to it. He'd show her… he didn't know how, but he would find a way.

He had reached the Gryffindor common room when he came to a conclusion. He caught sight of Lavender Brown talking to Parvati as they prepared to go to class. Lavender looked up, and caught Ron's eye and winked at him. Ron took a deep breath and walked over to the two girls.

* * *

Hermione's jaw dropped open when she looked up and saw Ron enter the classroom. It took her a moment to register the sight before her, and when she did her face became bright red with frustration and embarrassment, and in fact she was quite close to tears.

Lavender Brown had her arm gracefully looped through Ron's, and was staring up at him adoringly. He looked back at her with a sheepish grin, and planted a wet, sloppy kiss on her puckered lips. A fierce surge of anger swept through Hermione's entire body, and she turned away from the new couple so quickly that she heard her neck pop.

Draco heard it too, and raised his eyebrows in alarm. He glanced at Hermione and saw Ron and Lavender over her shoulder. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight of Lavender and Ron snogging. Quite honestly, the thought of those two together made him want desperately to release a large amount of unpleasant fluids from his stomach.

He watched as Hermione scribbled on a small piece of parchment and charmed it to fly inconspicuously across the aisle, coming to a rest in front of Harry. Draco raised an eyebrow at Hermione.

"Perfect Hermione Granger, passing notes behind the teacher's back?" he whispered in her ear, his eyes catching on the soft wisps of hair that dusted the tops of her ears, which were now turning bright red, most likely from frustration.

She didn't comment on his statement, or even glance at him, rather she waited patiently for Harry's return note. Draco peeked over her shoulder when the note came back to her and quickly read its contents before Hermione noticed he was looking.

_What nonsense,_ Draco thought with a smirk. It was all so simple, really, and rather delightful. Granger was upset about the Weasel, and little Potty was promising to talk to him about it. Draco relished the thought of the entirety of Potty's Fan Club in immense emotional and psychological pain. This was the sort of havoc he could only have dreamed creating amongst them.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, another brilliant idea surfaced from the depths of his vast, pureblood mind. He casually rested his arm along the backrest of the bench, so that his forearm was gently touching Hermione's back. He felt her shiver slightly at his touch, and smirked to himself. He loved smirking. It was just so sexy, and he knew it.

"What say we carry our little study session to the library after class?" he suggested, being sure a little hot hair from his mouth escaped to tickle her ear. She was blushing furiously again. "We could begin to research a bit about… creating spells…" his nose lightly brushed her temple. "…Latin…" he ran his fingers up and down her arm gently. "…and anything else you… desire… to learn about." He nipped at her ear lobe gently, and sat back, still carefully observing her flushed appearance.

Every word he had spoken had created a deeper hue of red on her cheeks. She had begun to breathe more deeply with each passing moment, barely noticing why. There was something about him that was so seductive, and when he had begun to talk about studying… she had nearly lost it. Hermione had never realized that studying and books could affect her in such a way.

She agreed to go to the library with Draco, mostly out of spite for Ron, but partly because she was intrigued by this new side of Draco that she had never been privy to.

* * *

Lavender smirked to herself as she rested her head on the softest part of Ron's shoulder. Everything had worked out perfectly. Of course, she had deviated from her original plan, but she was pleased with the outcome nonetheless. Ron was hers, and she reveled in this knowledge, particularly because she knew how much it upset Hermione. She had been paying careful attention to Hermione's actions especially since the beginning of the class, and she delighted in seeing tears in the bushy haired know-it-all's eyes. She was, however, most curious about that note that was drifting back and forth between Hermione and Harry. She eyed it suspiciously, and decided to nick it from one of them later.

Regardless of the note that was currently passing between her new boyfriend's two best friends, she felt that she had the victory. Ron had chosen her over Hermione, and she would just have to get over it. Until she did, however, Lavender would be more than happy to rub it in her face. Serves her right for being so insufferable.

Lavender paused for a moment, wondering when she had begun to hate Hermione so much. It wasn't as though the girl had ever truly done anything to her, aside from being a pain in her arse. Lavender supposed it may have begun with the incident in 3rd year when her rabbit had died, and Hermione had been insensitive. _No,_ she thought, _That's not it._

It went much deeper than that. It had to do with how jealous – no – envious was a far better word. How envious Lavender was of Hermione for her friendship with Harry and Ron. Lavender had always prided herself on her popularity, and it made no sense to her that an ugly, bushy haired brat like Hermione managed to get all the attention from two of the most popular boys in Hogwarts while Lavender was pushed aside. She had never appreciated that fact, from the very beginning, and she smiled to herself as she realized she had finally changed that fact. From now on, everything would be perfect, just as she had always imagined.

* * *

Harry stared skeptically at Ron as they stood together in a corridor near the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry had said that he needed a word with Ron, and Ron had immediately urged Lavender to go on ahead, saying he would meet her in the common room soon. She had not been too thrilled with this situation at all, and scowled to herself even as she said a charm to call the note Harry and Hermione had been writing from Harry's pocket to hers. She positioned herself around the nearby corner so that she could still make out what Harry and Ron were talking about as she read the note.

"Ron, what the bloody hell are you playing at?" Harry demanded, smacking Ron across the cheek, leaving a bright red hand mark there.

"Merlin, Harry that hurt!" Ron complained, holding his cheek in pain.

"Good," Harry said darkly, glaring at his friend. "Do you have any idea what you're putting Hermione through? And for what… Lavender Brown? You must have lost your mind, I know you have feelings for Hermione. What were you thinking?"

"It's not as if she cares, she's too busy shagging Malfoy," Ron said bitterly. "I saw them together, so I ran back to the common room, and there was Lavender, looking hot so I asked her out. I reckon it was more of a spur of the moment decision."

"You asked Lavender out because you were ticked at Hermione?" Harry repeated, rolling his eyes. "That's the lamest thing I've ever heard. You can't possibly be happy with Lavender. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, mate," Ron admitted. "I'm still a bit angry with Hermione."

"Hermione is working on a bloody project with Malfoy," Harry said, gritting his teeth. "You've just blown everything completely out of proportion."

"Do you think so?" Ron asked. Harry nodded his head. "I guess I'll have to break it off with Lavender then. You know I'm mad about Hermione."

Harry seemed satisfied, and the two of them walked back to the common room, talking about the upcoming Quidditch match.

* * *

Lavender was, needless to say, unhappy with this new development. She had, of course, heard every word Harry and Ron had spoken. She knew she had to do something about this. She had just gotten what she wanted and she refused to let it go so quickly. If she and Ron broke up, it would be on _her_ terms, when she was ready to move on to someone else. Nobody dumped Lavender Brown.

As she paced the corridors, not wanting to return to the common room just yet, for fear of Ron breaking up with her instantly, she continued to reflect on the situation at hand. She had been interested in Ron entirely too long (about the time he began to develop muscles) to be humiliated by him choosing Hermione over her.

"I have to stop this," Lavender muttered, not realizing that she was beginning to develop a habit of talking to herself. He must continue to be interested in her, no matter the cost. She vowed to make it so. As she pondered ways to do so, she realized that disenchanting Ron with Hermione was the only obvious solution. She would make Hermione look terrible in Ron's eyes, and otherwise keep them apart as often as possible. She smirked to herself as creative ways to do these things crossed her mind.

* * *

The library had closed an hour ago, but Draco and Hermione had managed to convince Madame Pince to allow them to stay a bit longer, on the condition that they were very, very quiet. Draco had just recently left, but Hermione decided to do a bit more homework, mostly because she was still rather afraid to go back to the common room and see Ron and Lavender.

Her eyelids were beginning to droop with sleep, and she realized she should probably pack up and get to bed. She didn't have to stay in the common room long, she consoled herself, just long enough to rush upstairs, hoping no one saw her on the way. As she began to pack her books up, she heard a noise behind her. Having thought that she was alone, other than Madame Pince who was clearly in sight across the room, Hermione was somewhat alarmed at this sudden activity. She glanced quickly over her shoulder, and was rewarded with the sight of Ronald Weasley, slouching against a nearby bookcase, smiling at her winningly.

"Ron!" she hissed, trying to be quiet. "How did you get in here? The door is locked!"

"Does it really matter, love?" Ron asked, approaching her slowly. Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Ron placed a gently finger on her lips, shushing her. He pulled her to him and looked into her eyes.

Hermione was instantly drawn in by his baby blue eyes, which were staring intensely into her as if he could read her soul, both of their eyes saying what their lips could not. She, knowing that something exciting was about to happen waited eagerly; he had come back for her. She felt his breath on her lips, and pressed against his body tighter in reaction to their proximity. She raised her hand to his cheek and ran her fingers across his skin lightly, coming to rest in his hair.

"Oh, Ron," was all she managed before he covered her lips with his, exploring every inch of her mouth with his tongue, causing unthinkable reactions in Hermione's body.

His hands were everywhere. She moaned softly. They slipped under her shirt, and she felt his fingers against her heated flesh, and her body jerked against his in a clumsy attempt to bring herself closer to him. In moments, Ron had placed her on the table and she wrapped her legs around his waist, slipping her fingers into the waistline of his pants.

"Miss Granger," an unfamiliar voice called. Hermione jolted awake. Madame Pince was shaking her by the shoulder. "Miss Granger, you have been snoring rather loudly for the last 15 minutes, and I think it's high time you went back to your room."

Hermione glanced around blearily, unsure of what exactly had just happened. It came to her slowly, and she soaked in the disappointment, realizing what had just happened with Ron was completely a production of her subconscious slumber.

* * *

Draco Malfoy was lying in bed waiting for sleep to overtake him. His mind was just too busy with thoughts for him to fall into a restful slumber. The moonlight shone through his windows as thoughts were running wildly through his head.

He was wondering what she was up to now, his so called partner. She was probably still in the library pouring over book after book. He chuckled softly at this vision. He intertwined his fingers and put his arms under his head. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he liked the way his body reacted to hers, there was just something about her that he couldn't put his finger on, but blinded by his obvious hatred for her, he had overlooked it until now.

It wasn't until he was in the library looking up stuff for the project he had noticed it. She had just gotten excited over a piece of information she found in a book and ran all over the library pulling down certain books. He had still been searching in his book for some idea to invade his thoughts.

He looked at the happy Gryffindor with utter distaste, but that suddenly changed when she began pouring over the books. He just watched as her eyes moved in a frenzy, scanning the page. And then just for a moment he caught her glancing out of one of the large windows in deep thought as a movie of emotions crossed her face. He couldn't read what her eyes were saying or what she was thinking. The only thing that he knew was that in that moment he felt dumbfounded. As soon as it came, it went and he went back to loathing her. And for this he wondered what else could possibly happen.

He felt his eye lids slowly close, for the next day would surely be filled with the answers he so desperately sought.

* * *

**Heyyyy, so what'd you all think? Hit that button and let me know! Special thanks to my reviewers who keep me going :-) and extra super thanks to my cooooooooltastic beta Cherbi161 (who's stories are the personification of awesomeness, so I suggest you check that out). Cherbi161... sings you are my suunnnshiiine, my only suunnnshiiine... you make me haaaaapyyyyyyy when skies are grayyyyyy is finished singing**

**What I really mean to say is... Llamas... make the world go around. :-)**


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